Gaston County Middle School conference title week features golf, softball championships

By Richard Walker

Published: Sunday, October 13, 2013 at 01:47 PM.

GASTONIA – It’s the first championship week for the Gaston County Middle School Conference of the 2013-14 school year as golf and softball champions will be crowned.

The golf championships begin the week on Monday at 1 p.m. at Mount Holly’s Green Meadows Golf Course, with the Mount Holly at Cramerton softball title game being played Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

Unbeaten Mount Holly is the favorite entering the golf championships, though there should be stiff competition from Friday, Belmont and Cramerton.

Coach David McClure’s Hawks were unprecedented co-champions in 2010 with Cramerton the last time the event was held at Green Meadows. That title was the first in Mount Holly school history. The Hawks then followed with an outright title in 2011.

In this year’s regular season, the top individual golfers have been Belmont’s Davis Sudderth, Mount Holly’s Wesley Hall, Friday’s Carter Rushing and Mount Holly’s Zach Adams. Other medalists in matches so far this season include Chavis’ Addison Beam and Payne Wallace, Cramerton’s Chris Heckel and Will Longbine, Friday’s Michael Chafin and Mount Holly’s Eli Wilson.

Cramerton and Mount Holly each finished the softball regular season with 9-1 records, though Cramerton earned the right to host Tuesday’s title game by virtue of an 8-1 victory over Mount Holly on Sept. 26.

Cramerton and Mount Holly advanced to Tuesday’s title game with semifinal victories last Thursday. The Eagles rolled past Bessemer City 11-6 while Mount Holly needed a late rally to upend Belmont 6-5.

GASTONIA – It’s the first championship week for the Gaston County Middle School Conference of the 2013-14 school year as golf and softball champions will be crowned.

The golf championships begin the week on Monday at 1 p.m. at Mount Holly’s Green Meadows Golf Course, with the Mount Holly at Cramerton softball title game being played Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

Unbeaten Mount Holly is the favorite entering the golf championships, though there should be stiff competition from Friday, Belmont and Cramerton.

Coach David McClure’s Hawks were unprecedented co-champions in 2010 with Cramerton the last time the event was held at Green Meadows. That title was the first in Mount Holly school history. The Hawks then followed with an outright title in 2011.

In this year’s regular season, the top individual golfers have been Belmont’s Davis Sudderth, Mount Holly’s Wesley Hall, Friday’s Carter Rushing and Mount Holly’s Zach Adams. Other medalists in matches so far this season include Chavis’ Addison Beam and Payne Wallace, Cramerton’s Chris Heckel and Will Longbine, Friday’s Michael Chafin and Mount Holly’s Eli Wilson.

Cramerton and Mount Holly each finished the softball regular season with 9-1 records, though Cramerton earned the right to host Tuesday’s title game by virtue of an 8-1 victory over Mount Holly on Sept. 26.

Cramerton and Mount Holly advanced to Tuesday’s title game with semifinal victories last Thursday. The Eagles rolled past Bessemer City 11-6 while Mount Holly needed a late rally to upend Belmont 6-5.

Cramerton is guided by first-year coach Lindsey Crosby and the Eagles’ lone loss came on Sept. 12 by 3-2 in eight innings at Friday. Chloe Mabry has five pitching victories and Kati Stewart four for Cramerton, with Katelyn Shipman, Sydney Bowen and Caroline Shoemaker collecting four hits apiece in last Thursday’s semifinal victory.

The Eagles are seeking their third county title in school history; The back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2002 are the school’s previous champions.

The Hawks of third-year coach Mike Nixon have been led by Carley Womack’s eight pitching victories. Emily Green, Mackenzie Koch and Ashlyn Presson had two hits each in last Thursday’s victory, with Green’s two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh allowing Mount Holly to advance to the title game.

Mount Holly has won three previous county titles – in 1984, 1987 and 2003.

You can reach Richard Walker at 704-869-1841 or by twitter.com/JRWalk22